NCAA Tournament 2014: Vital Predictions for Bracket Success

Before setting pen to paper and filling out a bracket for the NCAA tournament, it is important to come to a decision on a few certainties.

I like to start big, so pinpointing the championship game and its winner is key. After all, nailing the two teams in the championship game is a strong way to take any bracket pool.

After that, it's onto the sleepers. These are the teams that knock off higher seeds and destroy brackets in one fell swoop.

If I'm feeling confident about my championship predictions and have a strong sleeper, I'm feeling confident about my bracket. Well, I'm feeling great about my bracket this year, and the following predictions are the foundation of that confidence.

Louisville won 14 of its last 16 games and won the AAC regular-season and conference tournament titles. It is No. 2 in Pomeroy rankings.

Which school will advance further?

Florida LouisvilleSubmit Votevote to see results

Which school will advance further?

Florida

58.8%

Louisville

41.2%

Total votes: 34

No matter, head coach Rick Pitino can use the low seeding as motivation in case his team appears ready to rest on the laurels of last year's championship.

Louisville didn't play the toughest schedule this year, but this team is peaking at the right time, has quality experience and plays menacing defense. That will be enough to lead it back to the championship game, but not enough to win it.

Champions: Florida

Phil Sandlin/Associated Press

The tournament is wildly unpredictable. With just one game to determine who advances, anything can happen. The Gators, however, have several key factors that will help them battle the trappings of this kind of setting.

On top of what I just mentioned about Florida, what I like about this team is the diversified scoring. The Gators will not be undone if one player is struggling from the field. They have four players who averaged double digits in scoring this year and seven who averaged at least 4.9 points per game.

The Gators are not the most dynamic or dominant team, but they are the best and their foundation for consistency makes them the strongest play to win the title.